Therapy question

[Dirty Don]

I'm ambidexterous...got sinus on right side, dropped foot/nerves on left side...and general fatigue all over!!! LOL

[delorisdoe]

Well most of my pains are on my right side but I assume that is because I use my right side more. I even use my right foot to do all of my kicking.

[KimH]

Mostly right sided with sinus involvement. Right Knee aches. But left ear fusses more. Right handed. hhmmm

[Kami]

Right handed but most symptoms bother my left side.

[Chris G]

When I flared for the first time in 06, 07, 08 (it's all a blur at this point), my sypmtoms were left sided.....left eye, left ear. When I flared in 2010, it was my right ear that was affected. Other symptoms seemed to move around at will, on a daily basis......cough, throat pain, sternum pain (costochondritis). It's consistently inconsistent!!

[maria garcia]

In my case, every time the Wegs becomes active it follows the same exact pattern: I get increasing fatigue, then joint pain and then shortness of breath. If we don't catch it and treat, my lungs begin to hemorrhage. I've been on rtx almost 2 years (wow, how can that be?) and every time it starts to wear off the same cascade of symptoms begins. My symptoms return before my B cells return and before my labs show increasing inflammation. The Wegs dog who lives at my house is one sneaky dawg.

How do you know when B cells return? What should I look in the bloodwoork for (meaning B cell)? I looked but nothing says B cells, so im wondering if there is another name.

[pberggren1]

There are specific tests for b cells called CD19 and CD20.

[Al]

How do you know when B cells return? What should I look in the bloodwoork for (meaning B cell)? I looked but nothing says B cells, so im wondering if there is another name.

B cells are more or less always a component of the immune system. Usually, they are not specifically tested for. B cells (for "Bone"--as opposed to T--Thyroid--cells) produce antibodies, including the IgG antibodies (most ANCA are of the IgG type). This being the case, targeting B cells is one line of therapy for ANCA diseases. Rituxan does just this. In this case, CD19 and CD20 tests may be done to monitor the effectiveness of the RX infusions. But it is not the number of B cells that does the damage, but the ANCA themselves. This is complicated, however. ANCA can show up in the bloodwork without the disease being active. (Possibly this has to do with the fact that there are many sub-types if IgG.) Does this help?

[delorisdoe]

How do you know when B cells return? What should I look in the bloodwoork for (meaning B cell)? I looked but nothing says B cells, so im wondering if there is another name.

Maria, I think that b cell is only significant if rituxan is the treatment. I do not think that the doctors will test her b cells otherwise. Rituxan makes the b cells go away. They test for their return to the system to decide when to give more rituxan. this is what/how I understand it.

[delorisdoe]

i just like this picture